Facing It

Facing It

Yusef Komanuyakaa's poem "Facing It" is a cold example of the affects that war leaves upon men. When reading the poem one can assume that Komanuyakaa drew upon his own experiences in Vietnam, expressing his hardship over a thirty-one lines. However, the poem is also a universal and real description of the pain that comes about for a soldier when remembering the horror of war. He creates the poem's tone by using flashbacks to the war, thereby informing the reader as to why the speaker is behaving and feeling the way he is. The thirty-one lines that make up "Facing It" journey back and forth between present and past to tell the story of one man's life.

Komanuyakaa’s use informal language and deep intimacy are two techniques the poet uses to convey his message to his audience. “My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite.” It seems here he is trying to convey himself as a hard as stone, emotionally detached veteran; but the next line “I said I wouldn't,- dammit: No tears” tells a different story. The writer is going through a serious breakdown of character and is second-guessing himself; telling himself he’s stone then “I’m flesh.” He speaks openly and simply, as if he is talking to a close friend. The diction is full of slang, two-word sentences, and rambling thoughts; all of which point to the writer’s internal conflict he holds for himself. As his hard as stone control and his emotions struggle against each other, his perception of himself and his surroundings constantly alters as well. Originally he depicts himself as an apathetic, battle-worn vet, but faded into the memorial he came to terms with the depth of its meaning, and his emotions came to the surface. After the expression of these emotions, his hazy reflection stands out, now as a menacing presence: "My clouded reflection eyes me-like a bird of prey, the profile of night-slanted against morning." After realizing his weakness as a sharp...